Posted: 5/13/2012 10:14:52 AM EDT
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We're getting new carpeting. Our vacuum isn't bad, but isn't great. I figure that we should own a decent shampooer to maintain the new carpet. So, we're looking for a good vacuum with shampoo functionality.
So far looking has been surfing Craigslist for Gen4/Gen5 Kirby vacuums with shampoo attachments. The reviews I've read say they're durable, but a PITA to reconfigure when you wan to use the hoses, attachments, and features. I'm expecting to spend $200-$400 on a second hand machine. What should I be looking for? Any of the new whiz-bang bagless plastic stuff worthwhile? |
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I will start off by saying I'm not an expert at this. But...
I paid $500.00 for a dedicated carpet and upholstery cleaner. Arfcom told me not to. Arfcom was right. It's a piece of shit. It doesn't suck out hardly any of the water it uses, so I don't even dare put shampoo in it, because it will leave behind 5000 gallons of shampoo. If I was to do it over again, I'd save the $500.00 I spent, and leave it for the pros to clean my stuff. |
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If you need a "shampooer" to clean your carpet, look at the bissell "pawsitively clean" shampooer that's designed for smaller spot stains. We have one and it works great on treating piss stains or spills. Granted you can't
shampoo your whole house with it, but that's not what it was made for. It keeps the carpet looking good though. More than enough for the average joe. |
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After some searching and reading we decided to get two machines instead of trying to find one that does everything. and manage boxes of attachments.
Quoted:
Get a Eureka Airspeed. Model No is AS1001A. Should cost you around 120-140, and it sucks like a starving hooker. Attachments are great as well. Bought the Airspeed. Looks exactly the same, but we went with the model that uses a vacuum bag. Some of the reviews mentioned that the bagless model required a lot of filter maintenance. Hoping the bags make it easier to keep running at full power. For the shampooer we went with a Hoover SteamVac. It doesn't really steam, but it has a ton of flattering reviews. Will post results as we get a chance to use the machines. |
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Over many years, I've owned Kirby, Eureka, Hoover and Dyson.. They all did the job, but I have to go with the Dyson. The marketing is not hype. It really is a superior machine from my experience. The Kirby is built like a tank and a second hand one at a decent price might be an option. |
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Quoted: We're getting new carpeting. Our vacuum isn't bad, but isn't great. I figure that we should own a decent shampooer to maintain the new carpet. So, we're looking for a good vacuum with shampoo functionality. So far looking has been surfing Craigslist for Gen4/Gen5 Kirby vacuums with shampoo attachments. The reviews I've read say they're durable, but a PITA to reconfigure when you wan to use the hoses, attachments, and features. I'm expecting to spend $200-$400 on a second hand machine. What should I be looking for? Any of the new whiz-bang bagless plastic stuff worthwhile? A good carpet padding. The good paddings let the carpet breathe when vacuumed and allow more dirt to be picked up. Then buy a Dyson. . |
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We have pets, 4 kids, and a clay yard. We ended up going with a dyson, a bissle steam cleaner for spot cleaning, then bring in ZeroRez for full cleaning every so often.
It works pretty well. Much better than going through a new mid-range vacuum and shampooer ever year or so. |
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About six years ago, a Kenmore was the highest rated in consumer reports. We bought that and it was really nice, I liked it a lot, and then one day I was buying a gun at a sort of all-sorts store, and my wife comes over and puts a $400 Dyson into the cart and says "Don't you dare say anything."
So now we have a Dyson. It seems to be ok. 
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The Eureka Airspeed is a clear winner. The fit, finish, and packaging on the parts was very good. It feels solid, and does a great job picking everything up and fluffing the nap of the carpet.
The Hoover SteamVac feels a little bit cheap. It was shipped here and the packaging wasn't great, so the parts got some cardboard abrasion on them. Nothing terrible; just not as nice as the Eureka. The wheels on the Hoover have some play in them; contributing to the cheap feel. But it's easy to use and does a great job. I dumped A LOT of soapy water into a couple spots that had stains and it pulled nearly all of the water back out. We shampooed in the evening after work and the carpet was bone dry the next morning. So far I'm happy with both purchases. |